Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1887-04-15

. Ana.
81 won't listen to you" she retort-
ed.
Then | will send my private sec
retary to explain that my intention is
/ to-
"I'll scald him if he eyer enters
my door," shFieked the mother, land
| will complaia to the Archbishop"
"Then, you old vixen" shouted the
Dictator, Tell his Eminence that l
intend to marry Dolores"
"I cannot tell His Grace lie, re-
sponded Sonora Tosta.
Santa Ana was never renowned for
patience, and now his small stock
was quite exhausted. Finding that
no solicitations could induce Lola to
come out from under the bed, be
TUNED to the mother in towering
rage and cried:
fYou idiot, | will send
my private chaplain to propose for
/ Dolores 10 due form, for | tell you
she shall be my wife" Then mount
ing his borse, which all this time an
orderly held at the door, he dashed
furiously away.
Sonora TOsta sank into chair,
overcome with terror. She had no
! idea that the ruler meant to marry
her daughter but was certain he
would seize poor little Lola; and es
! to her own fate, to be east into dun
geon for life or to be raked 20 death
in one Of those torture chambers of
! the Inquisition, OF which she had
beard such terrible stories, was the
miidest punishment her Imagination
| could conceive The terrified child
crapt to her mothers side. s0bbing
bitterly, and expecting every moment
that squad Of soldiers would come
to shoot her Ouiy protector and 10
/ drag herself away. After hours of
agOnizing suspense n priest arrived.
At first Lola supposed lie had come
to prepare the Dictator's victims for
execution, but when the padre smiled
and patted her on the head she con-
cluded that perhaps they were only
to be imprisoned; and what was her
profound astonjshment when, stand
ing beside her mother, she learned
that the ruler of Mexico really desir
ed her to become his wife
Six months were allowed her in
which to prepare for the great change,
when q regal trousseau was prepared
By the impatient lover, and on her
thirteenth birthday Dolores became
the Dictator's bride A Spanish la
dy, through whose veins coursed the
bluest blood of CASTLE, bat who had
been impoverished by Mexican revo-
lutions, was appointed "lady of hon.
orr in attendance upon the young
wife, to teach her etiquette, etc. Six
high born maidens formed her suite,
and a military guard was organized
for her especial protection, called
Los Mosqnetoras de Su Alteza."
| These musketeers wore a peculiar
uniform of light-blue cloth embroider-
ed with silver thread, their s0mbre-
ros being pale gray, garnished with
silver cord, and their whole duty was
to escort "Su Alteza's carriage when
ever she rode on the Paseo or attend
ed the theatre The dictator requir
ed ell persons to treat little Lola with
the difference due to a Queen and to
address her only as "Su Alteza y
your Highness,
L is said that at first the child was
dazed by the change, regarding the
palace as sort of wonderland and
her august husband as a good natuced
gnome, to be feared as much as re-
spected. Her regal state was not
less perplexing to this Mexican Gin
derella than the mysteries of reading,
writing and music, in which she WAS
instructed by various professors,
who were at once appointed to form
part of her household.
Difficult, indeed, to the unsophisti-
Gated little maid must have been the
role of "frst lady of the land" even
though supported by the Castilian
dame aud directed by her wise moth
er, whom Santa Ana now respected
for the course she had pursued. In
half year how great change for the
barefooted girl Now 50 great was
her husbands power that Spanish
hidalgos and Mexicans of highest So
cial standing bowed humbly before
| her when she condescended to attend
the opera. Her musketers surround
ed her carriage on splendidly capari-
soned horses, daco man bearing in
his left hand q flaming torch; and
when her coach arrived at the en-
trance lackeys sprang to spread
velvet carpet for her feet to walk ep-
: on, while pages bore her train and
maids of honor carried her fan, cloak
and opera classes. During the per-
formance her guards waited in the
portico or corridors Of the theatre and
then escorted her back to the palaces
When she attended mass priests left
the altar to receive her at the door of
the cathedral and conduct her to
seat, and when the services ended
the clergy and acolytes, bearing
cross and lighted tapers, accompanied
her to the pavement and stood in re-
spectful attitude till her coach drove
away. This is not exaggeration, for
in those days the ambitious Dictator
was dreaming Of making himself EN-
peror, and was paving the way there
to by adopting the regal style.
To her credit be it said that when
Santa Ana lost power and prestige
and was banished from Mexico bis
young wife proved a true and devot-
ed woman. In 1874 the exiled hero
old, broken in health and bowed in
splrt-received permission from the
Mexican Government to return to his
native land, and then Dolores Tosta
was his only solace, doing everything
in her power to alleviate bis mental
and physical sutferings. All his once
colossal fortune having taken wings in
the West Indies, they now lived
very plainly, sometimes lacking even
the comman necessaries Of life. Those
who had fawned most in other days
now utterly ignored them, and the
fallen Dictator was not only forgotten
by those upon whom be had once
| conferred immense favOrs hut hia